


Unfaithful

by FrenchWriter



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), swan queen - Fandom
Genre: Adultery, Established Relationship, F/F, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Slow Burn, falling back in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-15 12:14:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11805804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenchWriter/pseuds/FrenchWriter
Summary: Regina and Emma have been married for 3 years but have grown apart for the last few months. Unbeknownst to Regina, Emma is growing closer to Elsa.This is a story about how they fall apart, come to hate each other before falling back in love.Eventual Dragon Queen but, yes, spoilers, it will end with happy Swan Queen.





	1. Wedding Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything new for quite some time (at least it feels like it), so I decided to turn one of my SQ fanvid into a fic.   
> This chapter is quite small, I know, forgive me, but I'll try to update regularly.
> 
> Here's the video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJUIO5L9RIU

Regina was sitting at the dining table as she waited for her wife to come home, their dinner cold from the three hours that passed by. Eyes unfocused, she absentmindedly twirled her wedding ring. It was becoming regular, those evenings spent alone at the table, Henry long ago asleep upstairs. A resigned sigh echoed in the room. She slumped further in her chair, her perfect posture long gone. She was about to get up and clear the table, her own plate untouched, when she heard the front door click shut. She swallowed back the lump in her throat as she listened to Emma shuffling off of her boots and jacket. Finally, the younger woman appeared in the room, barely sparing a glance to her spouse.

“How was work?” Regina’s voice was completely neutral.

“Tiring.” It was always the same answer. It seemed these days, Emma was never in a sharing mood. “You didn’t need to wait for me.” She said as her eyes landed on the plates. Regina’s eyes glazed over, her chest heaving once. She cleared her throat.

“I wanted to share this meal with you.” Her words were strained as she tried to school her voice.

“Why? You know I always eat Granny’s take out when my nights run long.” Regina’s sadness increased; a few years back, Emma would have noticed her emotional state by now.

“Why?” She repeated and shook her head slightly, blinking away tears that threatened to fall. “Because it’s our wedding anniversary.”

Emma had the decency to look contrite. “Shit, Regina, I completely forgot.”

Her wife looked straight into her eyes, the bag at her feet, under the table, disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

The older woman abruptly stood, briskly taking their plates before she disappeared in the kitchen. Emma stayed put, jaw clenched. She fucked it up and… she didn’t care all that much.

The silence that filled the house was strained, one woman cleaned the dishes and tried to repress her distress while the other went to their room to get ready for bed.

Not ready to meet Emma, Regina dried her hands and leaned against the counter. Tears spilled from her closed eyes and she aggressively wiped them with shaking hands. Tilting her head up, she stared at the ceiling for long minutes. Once sure that she wouldn’t break down, she walked up the stairs, changed and slid under the covers next to the already sleeping blonde. She didn’t sleep much that night.

 

The next morning, they barely crossed paths. Katheryn came to her office with lunch. Her smile disappeared at the sight of her friend, bags under her eyes, fatigue etched on her face, shoulder hutched forward. She sat opposite her without a word and handed her meal. Regina offered her a hint of a smile as a thank you.

“I take it last night didn’t go as planned?” She inquired as Regina picked at her salad.

“She came home three hours late. She had already eaten, had forgotten our anniversary and went straight to bed.” Katheryn winced slightly.

“She must feel bad now.”

“Not really, no. She didn’t bring it up further, didn’t even apologize.” Katheryn sighed and set her sandwich aside, her hand grabbing Regina’s softly.

“You should talk to her.”

“What for? I’m too tired to make a scene, Kath’… I don’t know how our marriage came to this, everything used to be perfect. It’s like we aren’t on the same wavelength anymore, we aren’t living together, we’re living next to each other.”

“Maybe you should see a therapist, work it out.”

“I don’t think Emma cares enough for that.”

“But – “

“Katheryn, look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore… Please.”

Katheryn resigned herself and their lunch went on in silence.

Regina spent most of her afternoon reading her text conversations with Emma over the last few weeks. She stopped multiple times as she realized just how downhill their relationship had gone. Coming to a resolute decision, she texted her wife: “Emma, I think we need to talk.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my updates are kind of slow and short. I apologize in advance, but it's daunting for me to write long updates.  
> So I decided to update more frequently but with short updates.  
> I hope you'll like the chapter!

_3 years ago_

 

_Emma was pacing back and forth in the study at Regina’s, fidgeting with her suit. Worrying her bottom lip, her eyes were fixated on the floor as thousands of thoughts were storming in her mind._

_Ruby sighed loudly._

_“Emma, calm down! Why the fuck are you so nervous?!”_

_“I don’t know! Ruby, what if this is a wrong decision?” She looked up nervously. She was a bit pale. The brunette got up and grabbed her shoulders._

_“You love Regina, right?”_

_“More than anything!” Her voice didn’t waver._

_“You make her happy, don’t you?”_

_“Yes… I hope so.”_

_“Then of course, marrying her is the right decision!”_

_“But what if I can’t make her happy in the long run? What if I hurt her? What if I run?”_

_“What if the sky falls on our heads tomorrow? Emma, you don’t know what the future holds. But what you know is what you feel right now.”_

_“But how can I promise her so many things. She deserves to be happy and loved beyond everything. What if I can’t give her that.”_

_“Seeing how she has been glowing for months and how she can’t stop talking about marrying you, I think you are doing a very good job with all of that.”_

_Emma stayed quiet for a moment and nodded solemnly._

_“Thank you Rubes.”_

_“Anytime, Em.”_

 

Emma had dreaded her return home after Regina’s text. She knew what they were going to talk about and didn’t want any of it. She’d rather ignore the situation altogether.

She parked in the driveway and took her time gathering her stuff, sighing and not daring looking at the house. Her house. It was still hard to call it hers. She got out and dragged her feet up the path to the front door. She got in and took off her boots and jacket, hanging it perfectly as she never did.

“Babe?”

“I’m in the living room.” Regina replied with a neutral voice.

Shoulders tensed, hands in the back pockets of her jeans, Emma rounded the couch to face her wife.

“Hey…” Dark eyes looked up at her. Emma just stood there in awkward silence. With a slight shake of her head, Regina looked away, sipping her glass of wine.

“You can sit next to me, dear, I don’t have the plague.” She said sharply. Emma gulped slightly, her throat tight as she sat next to her.

“So … you wanted to talk?”

“Straight to the point.” Emma shrugged and Regina clicked her tongue in annoyance at her aloofness.

“We can’t go on like this.” Regina looked at her wife straight in the eyes. Emma just stared right back. “Aren’t you going to say anything?!”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know! Tell me what’s going on! Tell me why you barely look at me or talk to me anymore! Did I do something wrong? Are you just getting bored?! TALK TO ME!”

“There’s nothing to say, Regina! I don’t know what’s going on!”

“Are you fucking kidding me?! How can you say you don’t know?!” Regina got up and paced, barefoot, wearing one of Emma’s hoodie that used to bring her so much comfort. “I’m your wife! You’re supposed to talk to me! I can help you with whatever is going on but you have to talk to me! For better or for worse!”

Emma sighed, not knowing what to say.

“So is that it?! Do you care that little about our marriage?! About me?!”

“Of course I care about you! I’d die for you!”

“Oh really?! Because I feel dead to you!” She barked coldly. Emma was just sitting there, looking down at her feet.

“You know what, you’re going to sleep on the couch tonight, and tomorrow, I want you out of this house.” Her tone was even and cold. She was standing firmly on her feet, hands on her hips, facing her wife. But Emma just kept looking at her feet, not saying anything. Regina huffed in anger and went up the stairs as fast as she could, slamming the door to their bedroom.

Emma lay down on the couch and spent the night staring at the ceiling.


End file.
